Latest Structures Page 153

Timothy Bishop House, New Haven Connecticut

Timothy Bishop House, New Haven Connecticut

Built on land which was garden plot of Reverend John Davenport, founder of the New Haven Colony. Governor Theophilus Eaton's residence was across the street. Davenport and Eaton were friends. Charles P. Thompson removed exterior front stairs and added present brick wing to rear in 1929. Mr. DeVita built a new modem steel and concrete first floor entrance stair. Two large store windows and basement door were installed at basement level when Elm Street was lowered c. 1917. Mr. Thompson built attic room in the 1930's; this room inspired by the John Cook house ballroom across the street. Fan lights in attic are original. Over-all dimensions: A two-and-one-half story, five bay house measuring 44-'-3 across the front by 49'-0 deep, including

Alexander Stewart House (Embassy of Luxembourg), Washington DC

Alexander Stewart House (Embassy of Luxembourg), Washington DC

Alexander Stewart was born in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada on September 12^th, 1829. In 1849 he moved to Wausau, Wisconsin where he was employed by a small lumber company. He rose to manager and eventually, through investments, gained control of a great deal of lumber land in Wisconsin and Michigan and some of the western states. (The Washington Post, 5-25-12) Active in politics, Stewart was a delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention; and from 1895 through 1901, he served three terms as a United States Congressman from Wisconsin. In 1908 his wife, Margaret Gray Stewart, purchased a lot at 2200 Massachusetts Avenue for $20,000. Shortly afterwards, Alexander Stewart was issued a permit to build a $92,000 residence on

Frederick Douglass House (Cedar Hill) (John Van Hook House), Washington DC

Frederick Douglass House (Cedar Hill) (John Van Hook House), Washington DC

The house was the residence of the Marshal and Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, Minister to Haiti and run-away slave, Fredrick Douglass. The site of the Fredrick Douglass Home was originally purchased by John VanHook ca. 1855. He built the main portion of the present house soon after that. For a portion of 1877 the house was owned by the Freedom Savings and Trust Company and then on 1 September 1877 it was purchased by Fredrick Douglass. At the time the house was owned by Fredrick Douglass it was known as the old VanHook Mansion or Cedar Hill and sat on about 8 1/2 acres. At two different times the house was added to and much interior and

Robert P. Dodge House, Washington DC

Robert P. Dodge House, Washington DC

Robert Perley Dodge was born in 1817, the son of Francis Dodge, an important merchant and shipper in Georgetown. He attended Princeton University. In only two years he graduated fifth in a class of seventy-six. He then entered the School of Engineering in Kentucky where he completed his major course of study in six months. He was offered a professorship in mathematics, but declined the offer in favor of a position as a civil engineer. Dodge returned to Washington to become a consulting engineer for the C. and 0. Canal Company. In 1850, along with his brother, he engaged Downing and Vaux to design his house. In July of 1854 Congress granted a charter to David English, Robert P. Dodge, Richard

General John A. Dix House, Washington DC

General John A. Dix House, Washington DC

General John A. Dix, the secretary of the Treasury from January, 1861 to March 1861, lived here (Proctor's Washington). He was appointed by President Buchanan in 1861. Dating from c. 1850, this Greek Revival townhouse occupies a rectangular lot near the corner of C Street and John Marshall Place, next to the site of the old Metropolitan Church. Site dimensions are 25' wide by 60' deep. The building is approximately L-shaped in plan, consisting of the principal volume at the north which is joined to a smaller structure at the rear by an enclosed link. The remaining southeast corner area is a courtyard. The building shares a party wall with the adjacent townhouse to the west and is bounded at the

District Building, Washington DC

District Building, Washington DC

Before construction of the District Building, the square had a variety of uses. A Baltimore stage line occupied one comer of the tract prior to the establishment of Nailor's stables in 1820's. In the 1850's a three story brick shop used a bindery fronted on E Street. Immediately before the construction of the District Building, the site housed a Capital Traction Company powerhouse. The powerhouse was completely destroyed by fire in 1897. The Public Building Act which became law in 1902 authorized $550,000 for purchase of the powerhouse site. The sane law also authorized construction of a building at a cost not to exceed $1,500,000. This amount was later increased to $2,000,000. Construction costs were increased by the need to drive

Devore-Chase House, Washington DC

Devore-Chase House, Washington DC

First occupants were Brigadier General Daniel Bradford Devore (1860-1956) and Mrs. Devore (owner). In 1969 Mr. and Mrs. Chase, owners, offered house with endowment for maintenance as gift to United States Government for use as official residence of Chief Justice of the United States. Bill authorizing acceptance was still pending in Congress in January, 1972. Overall dimensions: 88'6 (nine-bay front with 14' 7-deep forecourt between two-bay terminal pavilions) x 60'3. One-bay central pavilions on front and south elevations project very slightly. Two-and-a-half stories (dormers not visible except from rear). First floor: Front (east) entrance from open forecourt leads to rectangular vestibule approximately 7' deep. Inner entrance leads to hall 43'6 x 14' -with long axis running north-south through center of house.

Decatur House, Washington DC

Decatur House, Washington DC

Decatur House is unique in this country: the work of a great architect Benjamin H. Latrobe, built for a great American naval commander Commodore Stephen Decatur, is well preserved to this day, and within the house are preserved the original drawings. This is a set of circumstances impossible to equal elsewhere. The correspondance between Decatur and Latrobe is largely in existance, in the possession of his descendants in Baltimore. The full content has not been made public, but in one letter Decatur directs that the house be made as plain as a ship. The exterior certainly has the simplicity and honesty that Decatur wanted, and that Latrobe so skillfully could give it. The highly architectural hall, however, can hardly be called

James Y. Davis Sons Co. Building, Washington DC

James Y. Davis Sons Co. Building, Washington DC

This brick commercial building was designed by a local architect in the late nineteenth century. In spite of twentieth century alterations, the irregular shape, use of ornamental terra cotta, projecting bays, and side tower, make the building a distinctive example of Queen Anne commercial architecture in Washington. The building was constructed for the James Y. Davis' Sons Co. (James S. Davis), which was listed as a hat business in 1889 and as a men's furnishings store in 1914. The company continued to occupy 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue until the early 1920's, leasing it in 1901, in 1908, when Philip K. Reily leased land and premises at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue to James S. Davis for 10 years starting April 1^st, 1907, and for

Crawford-Cassin House, Washington DC

Crawford-Cassin House, Washington DC

Documents as early as 1818 refer to the house as a mansion. It is one of the few houses in Georgetown that still retains the two story side porch. Architectural evidence indicates the original entry may possibly have been on the east (porch) side. At one time the gardens of the property extended to 30^th Street to the east and to P Street on the north. The house is still accessible from P Street by a private driveway. Early in the 20^th century the building was altered and enlarged to be used as a private school. Today it is again a private residence. Sarah Crawford was the first known occupant of this home. Commander Stephen Cassin, the second known occupant of

The Townsend House (The Cosmos Club), Washington DC

The Townsend House (The Cosmos Club), Washington DC

Richard H. Townsend (1850-1902) was born in Philadelphia. Around 1892, after his retirement as President of the Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad, he moved to Washington. As stated in The Washington Post. January 11^th, 1950, Townsend and his wife, the former Mary Scott, commissioned the firm of Carrere and Hastings to rebuild the Hillyer mansion in the style of the Petit Trianon. Shortly after the house was completed. Townsend fell from a horse, fracturing his skull, and died November 27^th, 1902. Mary Scott Townsend (died March 1931), wife of Richard H., was the daughter of Colonel William L. Scott and the former Mary Matilda Tracy, who lived at 22 Jackson Place, N.W., on Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. Colonel Scott was a member

Rays Warehouse and Office (Corson and Gruman Company), Washington DC

Rays Warehouse and Office (Corson and Gruman Company), Washington DC

3262 K St. was one of the original dock buildings of the important Georgetown milling firm of A. Ross Ray & Bro. during the second half of the 19^th century. The waterpower provided by the C. & 0. Canal made Georgetown a good site for mills, and its closeness to transportation both by the canal itself, and the Potomac, made the location ideal. Richard Jackson, in his Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C. 1751-1878, writes that there were eight flour mills (including Ross Ray and Bro. and A. H. Herr at the foot of the market) and a paper mill. The flour mills will shell out from one hundred and fifty to three hundred barrels of flour per day; the flour and produce

Corcoran Art Gallery (US Court of Claims/Renwick Gallery), Washington DC

Corcoran Art Gallery (US Court of Claims/Renwick Gallery), Washington DC

The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17^th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., was erected 1859-1861 by William Wilson Corcoran (1798-1888), Washington banker and philanthropist, as an art gallery for his private collection of paintings and sculpture. The building was designed by James Renwick, Jr., the prominent New York architect who designed the original Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington in 1847 and the Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel in Georgetown, D.C. in 1859. The history of the Renwick Gallery falls into the following periods of time: erection, 1859-1861; occupation by the U.S. Army, 1861-1869; restoration, 1869-1873; home of the Corcoran Art Gallery, 1874-1897; home of the U.S. Court of Claims, 1899-1964; and the acquisition and

Cullinan Building, Washington DC

Cullinan Building, Washington DC

The facade of this structure was adapted from a design by G.E. Harney which was featured as the frontispiece in Bicknell's Street, Store and Bank Fronts, published in 1878. It is an extremely rich, highly textured fine example of the early commercial architecture Washington. The earliest occupant of the building was Men's furnishings and clothier business. From 1895-1918 Mayer & Pettit Men's Clothing, Furniture and Carpeting Company occupied the building. More recently, a furniture and clothing store was housed in the building. Built 1n 1883, this four-story, three-bay brick commercial structure is twenty-six feet wide, ninety-five deep and sixty-six feet high. It is located approximately one hundred twenty-five feet from the southwest corner of Square 457 and faces west toward Seventh

Cookes Row, Villa 3, Washington DC

Cookes Row, Villa 3, Washington DC

In its park-like setting, Cooke's Row forms an impressive series of large scale, formal Victorian mansions. Of the four double villas, 3013 and 3015 Q Street specifically represent the Italianate style. Henry David Cooke (1825-1881), after running a newspaper in Ohio, came to Washington during the Civil War to manage the office of Jay Cooke and Company. This was one of the most prominent banking firms of the period, and had been found by his brother. Henry Cooke was responsible for having Congress authorize the construction of the first street railway in the District and became the president of the Georgetown Street Railway Company in 1862. Shortly thereafter he resigned to become president of the First National Bank of Washington. President

Jenifer Building (F. & W. Grand), Washington DC

Jenifer Building (F. & W. Grand), Washington DC

F. & W. Grand, a 5 & 10 store, occupied the building at 400-404 Seventh Street from 1929 until the early 1970's. Upper story space in the Jenifer Building was leased by many professional concerns - dentists, photographers, physicians, an employment agent. By 1981 the building was vacant. Erected in 1900, the Jenifer Building was built by James L. Parsons, and designed by the prominent turn-of-the-century architect, James L. Hill. A significant contributor to downtown Washington, Hill's achievements include the Atlantic Building, the National Bank of Washington and the Occidental Building. The ground level of the Seventh Street facade is dominated by a projecting storefront which wraps around to the second bay of the D Street elevation. This storefront appears to

The City Tavern, Washington DC

The City Tavern, Washington DC

City Tavern was center for a large and important cross-section of early capital and national history. Its first proprietor was Clement Sewell who was innkeeper until 1799. Charles McLaughlin followed until 1801, then Joseph Semes until 1805. Senmes operated it under the sign of the Indian King and established it as a stop on stage routes to and from the Federal City. The Tavern has close associations with Jefferson and Adams. Jefferson's letters reveal that he held the place in high regard and that he recommended it to important visitors. Plans were laid here for greeting John Adams in 1800 as he arrived at the District boundary and he was escorted to the White House by Georgetown citizens. Townspeople later entertained

Christ Church, Washington DC

Christ Church, Washington DC

In 1811 St. John's Church was the only Episcopal place of worship in Georgetown. The Church had become so crowded that even gallery seats rented at high rates. The Church membership was unable to organize to plan an increase in capacity. Therefore, on November 10^th, 1818, a group of church members, all prominent Georgetown citizens, met at the home of Mr. Thomas Corcoran on Bridge Street (now 3213 M Street) for the purpose of organizing a new congregation and devising a plan for building an additional Protestant Episcopal Church. The members of this founding group included; Thomas Corcoran, Clement Smith, Francis Scott Key, John S. Haw, John Myers, Ulyses Ward, James A. Magruder, William Morton, Thomas Henderson and John Pickerell. Twenty-six

Charles Perry House, Southport Connecticut

Charles Perry House, Southport Connecticut

Charles C. Perry (1795-1870) was a wealthy nineteenth-century shipowner and sea captain and a prominent figure within Southport's community. He and his wife Sarah had two children - Miah, who died at the age of seventeen, and Maria, who inherited her parent's residence upon her mother's death in 1882. Charles Perry acquired the land upon which the house stands in September 1821. He was then twenty-six years old and unmarried. It is improbable that he would have built a residence of these proportions at the age of twenty-six or prior to his marriage circa 1830-33. The house was designed with the roof ridge parallel to the street rather than the gable facing front. This feature is characteristic of Federal style building

Capital Traction Company Union Station, Washington DC

Capital Traction Company Union Station, Washington DC

The union station for the street railway transit system was planned to accommodate four private lines as a transfer and terminal point. The project was the subject of much controversy in Congress before its authorization, but the prominent Washington architect, Waddy B. Wood (1869-1944) created an unusually planned building enhanced by the use of fine materials and excellent craftsmanship. The following is an excerpt from Street Railway Review, July, 1898:
When the Capital Traction Company of Washington, D.C. extended its line in M Street about 18 months ago, to the north end of the Aqueduct Bridge, which connects with Virginia, and affords the only convenient means of access to Fort Meyer (the government cavalry station) and contiguous territory one of

Book Title Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Book Title Abandoned Industrial Places: Factories, laboratories, mills and mines that the world left behind (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Industrial Places: Factories, laboratories, mills and mines that the world left behind (Abandoned Places)

Book Title Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Book Title Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

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